Pages

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Guest Post by Mickie B. Ashling

Good morning, y'all! Today I have Mickie B. Ashling back with Ride-Off, the follow-up to her phenomenal Fire Horse.

Bio

Mickie B.
Ashling is the alter-ego of a multifaceted woman raised by a single mother who
preferred reading over other forms of entertainment. She found a kindred spirit
in her oldest child and encouraged her with a steady supply of dog-eared
paperbacks. Romance was the preferred genre, and historical romances topped her
favorites list.

By the
time Mickie discovered her own talent for writing, real life had intruded, and
the business of earning a living and raising four sons took priority. With the
advent of e-publishing and the inevitable emptying nest, dreams were
resurrected, and the storyteller was reborn.

She
stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw
inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this
oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been
called "gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking." She admits to
being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.

Mickie
loves to travel and has lived in the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East
but currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

When
Monica had first broached the subject of their son’s orientation eight years
ago, he’d been surprised. Preston hadn’t been around enough to see Con heading
in that direction, so he’d assumed, like everyone else, that he was straight.
He was certain his own father, John Fawkes, had blamed him for somehow
influencing the boy, which was the furthest thing from the truth. Preston
wouldn’t wish his lifestyle on anyone, let alone his son, but fate had other
plans for the boy. Being a long distance dad hadn’t let him off the hook
though, and Monica Dearest had insisted they have “The Talk.” It would go down
in the annals of history as one of the worst moments of his life, and
considering the kind of life he’d led up to that point, it was momentous, to
say the least.

“Mom
thinks you and I should have a conversation,” he’d started, stepping into
Conrad’s lair when he was barely thirteen. Looking around the untidy room, he
noticed the posters of Queer As Folk
covering one wall. One character in particular, some brunet with water dripping
down his naked chest, looked particularly fuckable and Preston had to admire
his son’s taste. He’d do that guy in a minute.

Con looked
at him innocently. “What about, Dad?”

Preston
pointed at the poster. “You think about him when you jerk off?”

“DAD!”

Preston
chuckled. “Sorry… that didn’t come out right, did it?”

If
Conrad’s eyes had gotten any larger, they’d have fallen out of their sockets.
“This is so gay, Dad.”

“Nothing
like getting right down to the subject at hand,” he’d replied. “Let’s talk gay,
son. How far have you gotten in terms of exploration?”

“I don’t
know what you’re talking about,” Con replied primly.

“Alright,”
Preston said. “If you want to play stupid, I’ll go along. Do you like boys or
girls?”

“None of
your business!”

“Unfortunately,
it is,” Pres sighed. “My job is to make sure you’re playing it safe at all
times. Answer me, Con. Boys or girls?”

“Is that
right?” Preston said, dismissing the preposterous claim. He stared at the
computer on Conrad’s desk and wondered if he’d ventured into the gay websites
yet. Hell, he, personally, hadn’t even known they’d existed until recently. The
Internet was just starting to change the world, and he knew it would be a while
before the connections were up to speed on the ranch, so perhaps the boy was
still in the dark. Then again, he might know it all, just as he claimed. So
long as one had a credit card, which Conrad did, he had access. Gay sex, or any
sex for that matter, was readily available with the click of a mouse.
Nonetheless, he’d signed on as his dad, and had sworn to keep him safe, no
matter how ridiculous or redundant it might seem. He knew that Konrad would
have demanded that he sit the boy down and list in graphic detail every goddamn
disease known to man. It was what he’d done when Pres was a young and
precocious kid, so he’d closed his eyes and pretended he was Konrad Schnell for
the next half hour. By the time he’d finished his dissertation on the perils of
bed-hopping, young Conrad looked like he was going to puke.

“Info
dump?” he’d asked, feeling rather sick himself. It was always a mystery how
he’d managed to stay healthy considering his checkered past.

Con shook
his head. “I guess I didn’t know it all,” he admitted. “Thank you for telling
me.”

Preston
stood to go and kissed his boy on the head. “I may not win the award for Father
of the Year, but I know about sex. You come to me anytime you have a question.
I don’t care how fucked up or outrageous it might seem to you,” he said. “And
don’t worry about Mom finding out. I’d rather have my tongue ripped out then
discuss dildos with that woman. Got it?”

Conrad
smiled. “’Kay.”

Back in
the present, he felt a prickly beard tickling his ear and turned toward Kon,
who asked, “What’s troubling you?”

“Parenting,”
Preston said derisively. “It’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

“Tell me
about it.”

“We should
have stuck to Andalusians.”

“We’ll do
better next time,” Kon replied, meshing fingers.

They had
matching wedding rings made of Spanish sterling silver and the sight of them
always reminded Preston that they had been given a second chance and for that
he was grateful. “We’re doing much better this time around,” he said softly.

“I know,”
Kon replied, lifting Preston’s hand for a kiss. “I wish Sasha had a better role
in this play.”

“That
makes two of us.”

“Isn’t
there anyone you know who could give him the break he needs?”

“Not in
this field.”

“Too bad.”

“I think
it’s time to issue an ultimatum.”

“Why?”

“Because
he’s going nowhere fast.”

“These
things take time, Flea. Some people aren’t as lucky as others.”

“That’s
bullshit and you know it. He needs to be more aggressive and not expect the
plum roles to fall into his lap like magic.”

“What are
you going to do?”

“I’m
cutting him off after Christmas. He’s got three months to prove he can do this
or he comes back home and starts to earn his keep.”

“Doing
what?”

“Ranching.”

“That’ll
go over really well.”

“It’s
time, Kon.”

“Let me
know when you’re planning to talk to him. I want to be as far away as
possible.”

2 comments:

Thank you for letting me play in your sandbox, Eden. Appreciate the mention! I wish I was partying with you in Atlanta, but I just got back from a long trip to the UK and need to put some $$ back in the piggy bank before I can travel again. Enjoy!